Feb. 9, 2017 Box Score
ST. GEORGE, Utah - The Western Washington University softball team went 1-1 to open the Dixie State Easton Classic Tournament on Thursday, falling to No. 18 Cal Baptist, 8-2, before topping Western New Mexico, 8-0, at the Canyons Softball Complex.
WWU (6-2) scored 6 runs over the first three innings against Western New Mexico (0-8) en route to the win while three WWU pitchers combined to allow just 2 hits in the game.
The Vikings, who arrived to Utah from Hawai'i late on Wednesday evening, allowed a school record 5 home runs to the 18th-ranked Lancers in the tournament opener on Thursday morning. Cal Baptist (2-4) scored twice in the 1st inning before adding 4 runs in the 3rd inning on its way to the 8-2 win. The Lancers scored 6 of their 8 runs via home runs.
Junior first baseman Emily Benson (West Richland, WA/Kamiakin) went 5-for-8 with 3 RBI and 2 runs on Thursday, including a 4-for-4 performance against Western New Mexico to set a career high for hits in a game. Through eight games in 2017, she is batting .560 (14-for-25) with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 10 runs and 10 RBI. Benson has a current 8-game win streak (career long is 16) and is tied for 1st in program history with 22 career home runs.
Junior catcher Alex Boyd (Woodinville, WA/Bellevue College) went 2-for-4 with a 2-run home run and 2-run double against Western New Mexico, finishing with 4 RBI and 2 runs. In four games played as a Viking, she is 6-for-13 (.462). Freshman outfielder Mackenzie Palmer (Federal Way, WA/Todd Beamer) was 4-for-8 over the two games on Thursday with 2 runs and an RBI. She is 7-for-13 over her last three games with 4 RBI and 3 runs.
WWU plays two more games on Friday at the tournament, facing Hawai'i Hilo (3 pm MT/2 pm PT) and Cal State San Bernardino (5:30 pm MT/4:30 pm PT). The Vikings will also play No. 19 Colorado Mesa on Saturday at 12:30 pm MT/11:30 am PT to conclude the tournament.
No. 18 Cal Baptist 8, WWU 2 //DIXIE STATE EASTON CLASSIC TOURNAMENT GAME 1
Box Score
Cal Baptist belted 5 home runs and used a 4-run 3rd inning to open a big lead en route to an 8-2 victory over WWU on Thursday morning at the Canyons Softball Complex.
A 2-run home run with two outs in the top of the 1st inning from London Miller gave the Lancers a 2-0 lead. Halle Rosario led off the 3rd inning with a home run before Soraya Shahbazian added another solo home run with one out in the frame. A run-scoring single and run-scoring double followed as the Lancers sent eight batters to the plate in the inning.
Miller homered for a second time in the 5th inning for a 7-0 lead and Amanda Springstead also hit a solo home run during the 6th inning.
WWU scored its runs in the bottom of the 5th when Emily Benson hit a 2-run double to score sophomore McKenna Mathis (Mesa, WA/Connell) and Mackenzie Palmer. Mathis had led off the inning with an infield single before Palmer doubled with one out.
Freshman Anna Kasner (Milton, WA/Fife), the reigning Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division II National Pitcher of the Week, took her first career loss (2-1) after allowing 4 earned runs on 4 hits over 2.1 innings.
Six players recorded 1 hit apiece for WWU. Five of the 9 hits for Cal Baptist were home runs.
California Baptist 8, Western Washington 2 (Feb 09, 2017 at St. George, UT)----------------------------------------------------------------------California Baptist.. 204 011 0 - 8 9 1 (2-4)Western Washington.. 000 020 0 - 2 6 0 (5-2)----------------------------------------------------------------------Pitchers: California Baptist - Stapp,Ciara and Miller,London. Western Washington - Kasner,Anna;Labasan,Shearyna(3) and Hughes,Mackenzie.Win-Stapp,Ciara(2-1) Loss-Kasner,Anna(2-1) T-1:53 A-0HR CBU - Rosario,Halle (1); Shahbazian,Soraya (1); Miller,London 2 (2); Springstead,Amanda (1). |
WWU 8, Western New Mexico 0 //DIXIE STATE EASTON CLASSIC TOURNAMENT GAME 2
Box Score
WWU produced 16 hits and built a 6-0 lead after three innings while holding Western New Mexico to only 2 hits in an 8-0 win on Thursday at the Canyons Softball Complex.
Emily Benson drove in Mackenzie Palmer with an RBI single for a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning and the Vikings added 2 more runs in the 2nd inning with back-to-back RBI doubles from sophomore Shearyna Labasan (Mililani, Hawai'i/Maryknoll) and Palmer.
The Vikings pounded out 4 hits in the 3rd inning, including 3 consecutive hits to begin the inning. Junior Makinlee Sellevold (Everett, WA/Cascade) and Benson began the inning with singles and both scored on a double from Alex Boyd. Boyd later scored on a two-out single from junior Carlie Richards (Kennewick, WA/Kamiakin).
Boyd homered to left field for the 8-0 lead in the 7th inning, scoring Benson who began the inning with a single.
Sellevold (2-1) earned the win with 3.0 innings in relief of starting pitcher Anna Kasner. Kasner allowed 1 hit over 3.0 innings with 2 strikeouts and 2 walks. Sellevold allowed just 1 baserunner via a single in relief. Freshman Paityn Cyr (Mount Vernon, WA) pitched the final inning to close out the game as WWU posted its second shutout of the season.
WWU had at least 1 hit in each inning while recording its 16 hits. Benson went 4-for-4 with 2 runs and an RBI to set a career high for hits in a game while Boyd was 2-for-4 with 4 RBI and 2 runs. Palmer was 3-for-4 with a run and RBI while Labasan finished 2-for-4 with a run and RBI. Sophomore Ashley Scott (Bellevue, WA/Interlake) also had a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-4.
Western Washington 8, Western New Mexico 0 (Feb 09, 2017 at St. George, UT)----------------------------------------------------------------------Western Washington.. 123 000 2 - 8 16 1 (6-2)Western New Mexico.. 000 000 0 - 0 2 0 (0-8)----------------------------------------------------------------------Pitchers: Western Washington - Kasner,Anna; Sellevold,Makinlee(4); Cyr,Paityn(7) and Boyd,Alex.Western New Mexico - Shone,Domi; O'Neill,Thailia(4) and Vega,Deidre.Win-Sellevold,Makinlee(2-1) Loss-Shone,Domi(0-5) T-1:49 A-54HR WWU - Boyd,Alex (1).Weather: 63 degrees, Sunny |
